The business we'll build our lives around.
Sitamar Capital is Lynda Qin and Sean Li, a husband-and-wife team looking to buy one great business and run it for the long term.
A mar. By the sea.
Sitamar is a name we made ourselves. It joins Sitges, the seaside town in Spain where we were married, with a mar, Spanish for “by the sea”. It is where our life together began, and the idea behind everything we are building now.
We see this acquisition the way we saw that day: as a beginning. We are not a fund. We invest our own money, we plan to hold the business indefinitely, and we will be in it ourselves rather than managing it from a distance.
This path runs in both our families. Lynda grew up spending her summers working alongside her uncle in his business. Sean's parents came to Canada as immigrants and built their lives by working for themselves, from a small driving school, to his father's years driving long-haul trucks, to the insurance brokerage his mother started. We both saw the freedom that comes from being your own boss, and we want to build that kind of family business for our own family.
We grew up in Toronto, live in New York today, and want the right business to bring us home: one built on years of relationships and reputation, whose owner cares about what happens to it next. We want to look after the people, the customers, and the name you have built.
A horizon worth setting out for, and somewhere to put down roots.
What we're looking for
One business, chosen with care. Here is the shape of it.
Business
A service business with loyal, repeat customers and long-standing relationships with the people it serves and buys from. The kind of business that will still be needed in twenty years.
Size
Roughly $500K to $3M in annual earnings (EBITDA). Large enough to support full-time owner-operators, small enough for us to know every part of it.
Geography
Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area, or the New York tristate area. We will be on site and hands-on, so we want to live where we operate.
Situation
An owner who is thinking about what comes next, whether that means retiring, stepping back gradually, or staying involved as a partner.
We acquire majority or full ownership, and step in to run the business ourselves.
What you can expect from us
Straight answers
We invest our own money, so there is no committee to wait on and no surprises at the finish line. When we say yes, it is a real yes.
Your people stay
We are buying the business because of the team and the relationships it has built, not to replace them.
Your pace, your privacy
Everything stays confidential, and we will work around the timing that suits you, whether that is a clean handover or a gradual transition.
A real next chapter
This is not a flip. We plan to own and grow the business for decades, and we would be glad to have you stay involved as a partner if that appeals to you.
Who we are
Lynda Qin
Lynda recently graduated from Columbia Business School with an MBA. Before that, she spent three years at Brightwheel, an education technology company, working directly with preschool and daycare owner-operators across North America. She began her career as a consultant at Bain & Company. Lynda leads Sitamar's search and will step in as primary operator.
Sean Li
Sean has spent his career in restaurant technology and multi-location operations, including Restaurant Brands International (the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes), and is currently Senior Director of Product at Subway. He brings hands-on experience building the systems that keep thousands of franchised locations running, and is a full partner in the acquisition.
Get in touch
Whether you are an owner thinking about what comes next, or an advisor with a business that fits, we would love to hear from you. Every conversation is confidential.
Email us